Name : Harriette Trumble

Nick Names : Haz, Harry, Hazza Bazza!

Age : 19

Date Of Birth : 4/9/87

Place Of Birth : Blanes, Spain

Lives : Guildford, UK

When did you first sail?

When I was really young. I have a picture of me when I was about 3 months old, sailing with my mum on a topper when I lived in Spain, so, really young!

Do you remember your first race?

Yer I do. I was about 7 and I didn't finish, I gave up as I was so far behind. It was in an oppy at my sailing club Derwent Resivoir and I remember there was a coach there who went through a video telling us tips and stuff. He showed a mark rounding that I did and I didn't get anywhere near 5 boat lengths of the mark!!

When did you get selected for the prestigious British Sailing Team?

It was after the topper nationals in 2000. It was the first time I'd ever travelled from my sailing club to race. I only went because someone from my club was going, they had room on their trailer and it wasn't very far. I was away at boarding school when the letter came through saying I'd been selected as a wild card but mum didn't open it as it was addressed to me. She then got a call a few weeks later asking whether I was going to accept my place!

Who is your biggest inspiration in the sport?

Paul Brotherton is a huge inspiration for me. He helped me train for the Youth Worlds in 2004 and just knows so much about sailing. He's an amazing guy and a really amazing sailor. Also Dave Cockerill. He was my first coach and just really believed in me since the first time he saw me in a boat. It's really nice when your having a really bad event, to have someone to remind you that you can do it.

Which sailing achievements are you most proud of?

Winning the 420 Europeans with a day to spare was a pretty amazing end to my career in the 420. We had trained so hard and were abit disappointed, at the time, with our Bronze at the Youth Worlds, but now I can see that it is actually a really amazing achievement.

What about your family?

We are a sailing family. My Mum, Jenny, works as a manager at the BBC. My dad, Si, works offshore as an engineer on oil rigs. My sister, Pili, is 18 and at college. We all sail, my whole family does.

So you've grown up around sailing?

Yer, totally. I've never been able to escape it! When I was younger I didn't really like it, the cold, the wetsuits that rubbed, but I would've just had to sit in the club house waiting for racing to finish, I did it once and it was really boring, so I just carried on! Good job I wasn't allowed to give it up though!

What advice would you give to someone who wanted to start sailing?

Well there are two things you could do. You could go and have sailing lessons at an RYA (Royal Yachting Association) recognised centre and work towards your Level 1 certificate. This way you will have your equipment provided as some equipment is expensive. The other thing you could do is contact the RYA, find a sailing club near you and go and get involved. Everyone is so friendly in the sailing world and local sailing clubs will welcome new members.